


Keep Moving Forward

by OceanSpray5



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/M, Gen, Inception AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 14:04:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6807997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OceanSpray5/pseuds/OceanSpray5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Lucas Friar is framed for murdering his wife, he becomes wanted and can't find a way home. He is left with no choice but to accept a deal and do something he promised himself to never do again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keep Moving Forward

**Author's Note:**

> Contains :
> 
> *Angsty Lucaya,  
> *Friendship!Rilucas  
> *Zayley  
> *A hint of Smarkle  
> *A tiny smidge of Riarkle if you squint

“Look I need your help,” the blonde haired man asked desperately. “Maya was the best architect I knew. You have to know someone trustable.”

“Well son, there’s one person I do know. But I have to ask you, how much longer is this going to go on ? The kids can’t just get a toy every now and then to remind them that they have a Dad.” Shawn Hunter gestured to the gift bag full of toys on his desk before he looked at his son-in-law seriously.

“I know. I know,” Lucas replied. Guilt clawed at his chest as he remembered the promises he’d made to his wife. He had broken them all. “It’s the last mission before I get my name cleared. You _have_ to help me. Please. I don’t want to be out here anymore than anyone wants me too.”

Shawn sighed. He knew his son-in-law meant well. He just hoped what he was trying to accomplish would be fruitful.

“Come with me.”

They walked past the College Campus and into one of the Architectural Studies buildings on Campus. Shawn had come to visit for a few days to write an article on the living conditions and studies. Normally he did scenic tourism articles but had decided to shake it up a bit purposely asking for a job where he could visit his daughter’s husband.

An influx of students was rushing past as they made their way down the hallways of the Faculty building. Lucas looked curiously as Shawn stopped a pretty brunette girl at the stairs who seemed to be a few years younger than him.

“Lucas, meet Riley Matthews. She’s the daughter of my brother from another mother-”

“Cory Matthews ?” Lucas guessed. He had heard many a tale of the two men.

“That’s right. She’s the best I got at the moment. Not the best artist but she’s always had a knack for STEM subjects so I think she’s what you need.”

“What’s going on ?” Riley butt in.

Lucas didn’t have time or energy to find anyone else, especially someone he could trust without testing them.

“How would you like a job unlike one you’ve ever had before ?”

* * *

Riley looked at the notepad and pencil in surprise. The man, Lucas, was very blunt and straightforward with her.

“You have one minute. Surprise me.”

The Matthews raised her eyebrow at him. Was that a challenge ?

A minute later he was clicking his tongue in irritation. He handed the notepad back to her and reset the timer.

Riley huffed in annoyance as he corrected her for the third time. She snatched the pad of paper from his hand and handed it back in under a minute. If he wanted a hard to beat maze he was gonna get one.

Lucas’ brow furrowed in concentration. His phone beeped to signal the end of his time to solve the mind puzzle. He looked up uncertain but slightly relieved.

“Congratulations.”

* * *

“Welcome to the team.”

Riley looked up at the two boys in front of her. They were obviously around her and Lucas’ age but they seemed _much_ friendlier.

“I’m Farkle Minkus,” the lanky man with a ‘I have a Theory’ T-shirt introduced himself. “The Chemist.”

“Isaiah Babineaux, but you can call me Zay. I’m the extractor along with Lucas.”

“Pleasure to meet you boys. Am I…the only girl here ?” Riley asked. She had no doubt that these boys were all gentlemen but she didn’t like the idea of having to deal with them. Boys were so different from girls. And mostly so _irritating_.

“No. We have another tw-” Zay cut himself off looking suddenly upset. He shook his head and shut up while Farkle continued.

“One other member. Isadora Smackle. Our conman and my fellow chemist. She’ll be here soon.”

Riley smiled relieved. She sat down on one of the couches in the odd looking room filled with assorted chairs and tools on counter tops. Besides that it was mostly empty.

“Well you both seem a lot nicer than Lucas,” Riley turned her smile up full force.

Zay and Farkle exchanged worried glances.

“Don’t be so hard on him. He’s…complicated.”

“Just don’t get in his way and you’ll be fine. He’ll warm up to you eventually.” Zay added helpfully.

“Izzy should be here by now.” Farkle said checking his watch hurriedly changing the subject. “Come on. Let’s introduce you.”

* * *

Riley had met all her teammates and by now she had been briefed on her mission. She was too create a world in a bunch of lucid dreams. A maze. They were using ‘dream within a dream’ technology. Their objective was to embed an idea so deep in their subjects mind that he was convinced it was his own. Their client was trusting them to have her opposition dissolve his father’s company after his death so she would come out on top. Riley didn’t like it but she admired the young woman for having accomplished so much at a young age, even if most of it she inherited. So far she had learnt the mission theoretically, but not practically.

Riley would have been happier if Zay had taught her what they were doing instead of Lucas. She had been hanging out with him and she quite liked him. But Lucas had more experience. Perhaps more than he wanted. Nonetheless Riley tried not to feel so disappointed. Perhaps after their mission was over they could go get coffee ?

At first sight she had thought Lucas was the type of man for her…well, 15 year old her anyway. Riley had long since given up the idea of Prince Charming and first love. She was content with being herself until someone right for her came along.

“Can you tell when your in a dream ?” Lucas asked her.

“Yeah. Sometimes.”

They were sitting outside a small roadside cafe. Cyclists and people on foot passed by on the sidewalks next to the calm street. Fruit and Vegetable vendors were selling their fresh produce and the sweet aroma from the cafe was heavenly. It was a great place for people watching. Riley decided to come here sometime on her own.

“But do you know how you got there. When did you last have a dream or nightmare ?”

Riley took a sip of her mocha latte and sifted through her memories of the last few weeks.

“Last week.”

“What can you remember ?”

“Umm well,… I remember seeing my family, and seeing myself in Paris with someone. I don’t remember who but they seemed vaguely familiar. And I remember a girl I was friends with when I was 3 but she moved away when I was 7 so I don’t remember her anymore.”

“And all this happened in that order.”

Riley nodded in affirmation.

“How did the dream start ? Do you remember how you got to Paris ?”

Riley looked thoughtful for a minute.

“No. I can never remember the beginnings of my dreams. I’m always just…”

She trailed off confused. The brunette looked around at the crowded street full of cyclists and street vendors with their carts of vegetables and fruit acting like everything was normal. She looked at the cafe next to her and the mug of coffee in her hand.

How’d she get here ? Lucas was looking at her expectantly.

“This is a dream.” she whispered weakly.

A loud noise was heard as the shops around them blew up and fruit and vegetables fell everywhere. The windows exploded and and her coffee cup shattered. Riley screamed as the world literally broke beneath her feet and reality shattered before her eyes.

She woke up breathing violently. Riley ripped off the wires connecting her arm to the silver briefcase and her headset. It had felt so _real_. It was terrifying.

Lucas was sitting up waiting for her breathing to calm down. He didn’t look fazed at all. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black top splashed with paint. It was splattered in different colored faded fingerprints as if the holder had hands wet with acrylics.

“Dreams feel so real, when your in them. Once you go deep in one, its hard to remember your asleep at all. That’s why each one of us has a totem to remind us. Every person’s totem is different and every person knows their totem’s secret. It can be anything but it has to be small enough to carry around. Doesn’t matter what it is. You have to keep it safe and guard it. It’s your only anchor to reality. Once you lose your totem, you can lose yourself.”

Riley looked at the top curiously.

“That’s your totem ?”

Lucas paused for a second as if contemplating his answer.

“Yes.” he finally decided.

* * *

Zay walked into the main room after hearing a strange whirring sound. He looked up seeing Riley bent over a machine with a piece of metal in her hand.

“Couldn’t sleep ?”

“If I can ever sleep again after that weird dream you can change my name,” she muttered.

“I could ask Farkle to whip up a light sedative for you in a minute. Help you get to sleep ?”

“No its okay. I need to work on my totem anyway.”

She paused as if debating whether to ask a question or not. A few years back Riley would wave asked what was on her mind without a second thought but she knew now that some topics were sensitive and private.

“What’s your totem ?”

Zay pulled a die out of his pocket. Riley reached out to touch it but Zay drew his hand back quickly.

“I’m the only one who know’s its exact weight. I’d let you touch it but that’d kind of defeat the purpose wouldn’t it ?”

“I guess so.”

She turned back to the machine. Once again she debated asking a question that she wanted to ask. Her mind was burning with curiosity. She could tell something was wrong with the way the rest of the team was reserved around Lucas. Sometimes they mentioned something but quickly backtracked before she could figure out what and change the subject. Riley had had enough. She was part of the team now. She deserved to know the truth.

“Zay,…Who was your architect before me ?”

Zay grinned ruefully. He had expected the question at some point. He sighed before moving over to sit down by Riley.

“Figured you’d ask that question at some point. We weren’t exactly subtle were we ?”

Riley just crossed her arms.

“Maya Hart. She was our resident architect before you. She was an artist so she was quite good at her job. She disliked STEM subjects but did the job pretty well. I knew her since the eighth grade. Farkle met her in the fourth. They’ve been close ever since and he knows her better than anyone except Lucas.”

Zay seemed to be contemplating whether to tell her any further.

“Lucas met her a year before me. Wouldn’t shut up about her on the phone when he called me in Texas. They became best friends and it took a while, a lot of the school pushing them together frustrated at their stupidity and being voted couple of the year twice in the yearbook before they actually were, but eventually they started dating. Broke up two times in total. Lucas proposed a while after graduation and they got married after college. I helped of course. Being Lucas’ right hand man and Maya’s partner in crime I played a big part in helping them along. Must be why Maya demanded I be her Maid of Honor at the wedding.”

Zay chuckled trying to force back tears. He was trying to crack jokes to pretend everything was alright.

“What happened to her ?” asked Riley fearfully.

“That’s not my story to tell. Maya was a lovely person. A little cold, a little guarded and her life wasn’t the best but she was the best friend anyone could ask for, even if she doubted her abilities too much. Not many people claimed to know the real her but everyone she came into contact with, she impacted them positively. Even if she never believed it.”

Zay’s eyes were misty as he stared at the blank wall across the room. His mind was lost in a flurry of high school memories filled with pranks and mischief.

“Oh.”

Riley felt a strange surge of sorrow and grief. Surprising because she had never met Maya even though her Uncle Shawn had mentioned her plenty of times. They never got around to meeting each other and so Riley felt a loss for the friendship she could have had.

* * *

“When your in a dream you can manipulate your surroundings to alter the architecture of the city. The only person who knows the layout is you.”

“Oh well see what I did here was-”

“No. You can’t tell me. The architecture should only be known by you otherwise things get dangerous.”

Riley nodded. She and Lucas walked through the city. It was like Looking at the sky a thought popped into her mind. A minute later the street in front of them was suspended at a ninety degree angle. Lucas kept walking, he just turned with the street.

Riley kept altering the scene not noticing Lucas’ uncomfortable looks and neither did she notice the people in the dream were looking her way, their gazes not entirely friendly.

They approached a dome beside a large park. Riley’s imagination conjured two tall mirrors which she aligned to reflect an endless sidewalk next to a fairly busy street. A tap to the glass and it crumbled making the infinite walkway a reality in the dreams. People walked under the bridge overhead and she heard kids playing. A wall separated the park from the sidewalk and she could hear kids laughing. People were perched on the wall

Lucas came to an abrupt stop seeing an image. A memory he had repeated again and again in his head.A beautiful blonde, but somewhat vertically challenged woman was on the wall with Lucas’ arms around her as she playfully struggled against him to push him off. She giggled as he tickled her and then pressed a gentle kiss to her temple.

Lucas gulped. He turned around quickly trying to distract himself. Seeing some of the people begin to surround them he grew anxious. They were forming a circle around them.

“Riley stop.”

“Why ?” She was having too much fun to stop now.

“Riley, I’m warning you its not all fun and games.”

“Relax Lucas everything is- AHHH”

The projections had attacked. One of them punched Riley and she screamed at Lucas to wake her up. He hadn’t taught her how to do that yet.

Once again she was in her lawn chair breathing like crazy her heart rate accelerated way beyond normal. Lucas woke up a second later.

_“What was that ?”_

“They became aware. When you change a dream-scape to much it alerts the projections and makes them restless.”

“What ?”

Riley’s mind wasn’t entirely focused on what Lucas was telling her. She was still freaked out.

“The people in the dreams. Projections. You need a kick to wake up. A kick isn’t an actual physical kick its just the experience of falling within a dream.”

“Huh ?”

“The sensation when your about to fall asleep and you suddenly jolt awake for no reason ? You feel like your falling ? Your heart rate decreases too fast and that’s why you wake up. Your brain sends an emergency signal to wake you up. That’s a kick. You need one to wake up.”

“Okay.” Riley replied in a small voice.

* * *

She walked into the room to see him asleep with his arms strapped to the briefcase. It only took Riley a second to decide what to do. Slipping on a pair of headphones and sedating herself she fell asleep.

She walked through a large spacious house with a backyard visible through the sliding glass doors. A dining table made of oak was in the middle of the room and there were a bunch of paintings on the walls. Riley turned around and saw a metal elevator at the end of the hall. A large mirror along with a few framed pictures were adorned the hallway wall.

Riley frowned confused and looked back into the main room. A small blonde haired girl and a brunette boy, a few years older were playing in the garden. Everywhere else seemed to be empty. No one was there.

She moved into the metal elevator and pushed the only button in it. It moved downwards as if this were a building. Riley saw a few rooms on the way downwards. It wasn’t a hotel but more like a stack of…memories. The elevator came to an abrupt halt.

Riley silently watched as Lucas conversed with a blonde woman about her age. Her hair was loose and she was wearing a loose paint splashed black shirt with dark wash jeans. They were sitting in a living room which wasn’t in the upstairs house. The walls were covered in canvases fit to be in a museum.  They both looked up and Riley squeaked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Lucas stood up looking slightly irritated and upset. The woman who Riley assumed to be Maya looked at her up and down with curiosity. As if she were a painting and Maya wanted to know all she could find.

Lucas walked over to the elevator and abruptly declared he had to leave. Riley was confused. Why was Lucas talking to his dead wife’s projection. Why had he seemed to grow slightly anxious as soon as she had arrived ?

“You could stay here. Why do you always go ? Can’t you stay ?” Her voice was like an innocent child who had seen too much.

“You know why I can’t stay.” Lucas replied cautiously.

“Yes you can Lucas dammit ! You can. But you refuse to.”

Lucas backed up against the bars of the elevator. Maya’s eyes were cold and piercing.

“You can stay with me. You can stay with Hunter and Kathy. We can be a family again.”

“You know I want that more than anything, Maya.”

“Apparently not,” the woman snapped. Her face contorted. “Your just like everyone else Lucas Friar !”

Riley’s heart was thumping in her chest. She couldn’t understand what had happened. Maya looked more hurt and vulnerable than anything she had seen before. Anger and pain clouded her features and even through Riley knew she wasn’t real, Riley realized that the real Maya was reflected in Lucas’ projection of her.

Lucas slipped into the elevator and shut the door with a clang. That seemed to snap something in Maya she ran towards them and Riley instinctively backed up till her back hit the elevator wall. She seemed to be trying to keep them from leaving. To keep Lucas from leaving.

“I hate you,” she spat with tears in her eyes as she fell to the floor sobbing. “You left me and you left our kids. Your a leaver. Just like everyone else.”

Seeing his expression Riley knew Lucas was going to make a reckless decision unless she acted fast. She pushed the only button on the elevator and shrieked as a sudden jolt resonated throughout.

When Riley woke up her first instinct was to check on Lucas. He sat up with his hands over his face as he wiped his eyes and gave a small sniff.

“Those were your memories.”

It was a statement. Not a question. Lucas let out a shaky breath.

“She was always so guarded. Ever since I met her. The only one she opened to was Farkle or her mother. I worked so hard to get her trust. She pushed me away with insults about being Texan and I let her tease and taunt me. It made her happy.

“Then we started dating and I promised her I’d never hurt. I’d never leave her. We always came back after we broke up. I know Zay told you a little bit. The promises I made meant so much to her, especially because she trusted me. She didn’t trust easily.”

Lucas’ voice was choked and squeaky. His eyes stung but the tears didn’t fall. His chest heaved.

“I broke them. I told her I’d never leave her like her dad did or hurt her. After Hunter and Kathy were born I added that to the pile of promises. If something ever happened I’d never let them end up alone to fend for themselves with half a parent. I-I…I broke that promise too. I didn’t want to.”

Lucas fiddled with his wedding ring.

“It was my fault she died. We were experimenting with dreamshare but we went too deep and ended up in a limbo. The only way back is to kill yourself in the dream but she thought it was real even when I told her it wasn’t. I figured it out but she didn’t and I couldn’t convince her that we were asleep. I never should have planted the top in the safe. I embedded the idea so deep into her subconscious that that she thought it was fake even after coming to reality. I performed Inception on my own wife before I realized the consequences.”  

Lucas wiped his eyes again and looked away from her.

“This mission, you just want to get home don’t you ? That’s why you took it. Because you were offered a name clearance after they thought you killed her.”

Lucas nodded.

Riley didn’t see the somewhat harsh man she had known for the past few weeks. She saw a husband and a father trying to make up for his wrongs while trapped in the past.

“It wasn’t your fault. She made her choice.”

“She didn’t know what she was doing.”

“I know. But you couldn’t have known what was going to happen. She’d want you to try to feel better.”

“You didn’t even know her.”

“Maybe I did. When we were three. I remember the little blonde haired girl who defended me from playground bullies. Who told me she didn’t have a dad but her mommy loved her. Who was so happy when Shawn treated her like a daughter especially after my parents set her mom up with him. Maybe I don’t remember her as well as you guys, but I know she wouldn’t want you to mope like this. She really loved you. She would want you to try and move on.”

Riley steeled herself before pushing forward.

“The Maya in your dreams isn’t real you know ?”

Lucas glared at her. He knew she wasn’t real. Of course he did. But right now she was the only piece he had of her.

“It’s just your guilt manipulating you. She wouldn’t think any differently of you. And I know I’m just saying words…”

Lucas’ lips quirked at her combination of words.

“…I know you and Farkle and Zay and Izzy miss her a lot. I would have too if I remembered her more. Or even if we had been able to meet up after we were seven. But we’re all here for you.”

Riley patted him awkwardly on the back as she moved towards the door.

“And…I’m sorry for barging in on your memories and private thoughts like that. I’ll be more careful next time.”

She left leaving Lucas to mull everything over.

* * *

The plane ride was 10 hours long but it was first class and they would be sleeping for most of it so Riley wasn’t complaining. Missy had insisted on coming stating she had to make sure they followed through with the mission and didn’t double cross her. Riley was extremely impressed with how far Missy was willing to go to eliminate the competition from Gardner Enterprise. As soon as the flight took off their flight attendant brought out their briefcase from behind. She gave Charlie a pill to put him to sleep and then the rest of them sedated themselves and plunged into the dreams. It was unlike anything Riley had known despite having been practicing for a month.

The first dream had been Farkle’s. It was set in rainy gloom filled San Francisco. Lucas had slipped into a cab with Charlie so they could take him to the warehouse.

Their plan was simple. They had to take Charlie to a warehouse and manipulate him into telling them the code to a safe which led to his subconscious before taking him to the second level. The second dream. The pan went wrong immedietly. Lucas had severely miscalculated. He hadn’t been expecting Charlie to have been trained against dreamshare and invading someone’s mind.

Missy had gotten hurt when a bunch of projections shot at their line of cabs as they made it to the warehouse. She was bleeding badly but she held on. Smackle had tried to get the code out of Charlie’s head by impersonating his Aunt and Mentor Lauren Cardinell but the effort had been fruitless.

Time was running out so Lucas decided to improvise. The would take Charlie to the second level and extract the code from there. They had to leave before Missy fell into a limbo and they were caught by the projections guarding Charlie’s mind. Putting a sack over his head they led him out of the warehouse.

They all jumped in a van and sedated themselves travelling into another dream, the projections were still hot on their trail. Farkle was to stay behind and initiate the kick by driving off of the Golden Gate Bridge.

“Farkle try to hold off the kick as long as you can okay ? Try to give us at least three minutes on this level.”

Farkle with his eyes focused on the road and foot on the pedal yelled back an answer. The wind was loud and the rain was pounding against the windshields along with the bumps along the road that came from driving so fast.

“I’ll do my best Lucas just hurry up.”

Lucas nodded and slipped on his headphones. The song was already playing. In two seconds he was out like a light.

* * *

Zay was second. His dream took them to a large five star hotel. They found Charlie easily and Lucas decided that the best way to get him to trust them was to tell the truth. He came up to the man sitting at the cocktail bar and led him to an empty bathroom.

“Mr. Gardner. I have been assigned to protect you.”

Charlie was confused.

“I’m sorry. Who are you ? And from what ?”

“My name is Lucas Friar, I work for a division involved in dreamshare and extracting ideas from the subconscious, or even in some cases, placing them in.”

“You think someone is going to try to get inside my head ?”

“We already are inside your head Mr. Gardner. Your dreaming.”

Charlie looked around the bathroom they were in. It looked pretty real to him. A part of him wasn’t believing what he was being told.

“What ? No.”

“Can you remember how you got to this hotel Mr. Gardner ?”

Charlie couldn’t reply. He was left speechless.

“Now, We have a suspicion that these people are after your father’s company. We have to make sure they don’t get that information.” Lucas turned around for a second but when he turned back to Charlie, he was holding a gun to his temple.

“I’m in a dream right ? If I kill myself I’ll wake up.”

“No you won’t Mr. Gardner,” Lucas placated. “You’ll end up in a limbo. A place so deep in your subconscious its hard to come out of it. You’ve been heavily sedated so instead of waking up you’ll just go deeper into the dream.”

“What’s the limbo ?”

“It’s a collective space deep in the shared subconsciousness of everyone sharing the dream. If you go under, you won’t be able to get out.”

Charlie had his eyes closed and he was contemplating everything. He slowly lowered the gun from his temple and Lucas let out an audible sigh of relief.

“What do you suggest ?”

“Mr. Gardner we believe they are after a specific code. The code to your father’s safe. Right now would be the time to trust me with it before something bad happens.”

“I don’t know. He never told me.”

Charlie wasn’t lieing. His father truly hadn’t told him but he had heard his father tell his Aunt once.

“Yes but you overheard once didn’t you. Try and remember. Let’s start with the basics. How many characters ?”

“Eight”

“First 3 numbers. Try and jog your memory.”

“6…8 no 7…5″

Charlie still looked uncertain but Lucas decided to work with it.

“Good good. Now what were the last three numbers.”

3…2,” Charlie closed his eyes as if he were struggling to remember. “2″

“Good Mr. Gardner now we have six digits in the order 675322. We need two more.”

Charlie struggled again before letting out a sigh and shaking his head.

“Can’t remember.”

“You have to try Mr. Gardner. It is of the utmost importance that you remember.”

“Wait, I think I have something.”

“9…and, and…um…4″

“You are absolutely sure ?”

“Yes. I think that’s it.”

“Good. Come with me.”

Lucas made his way to the hotel rooms upstairs. Smackle had already booked them a room. Zay and Riley were waiting for their cue on the bench. Seeing the projections looking at them curiously he turned to Riley.

“Quick gimme a peck.”

Riley obliged. The projections didn’t seem to buy it so Zay and Riley got up to go to their rented room. As soon as they were there Zay grabbed the briefcase as Lucas, Smackle and Charlie walked in with Missy.

Riley jovially introduced herself and the others as part of his protection squad. She felt bad they had to sell him a lie disguised as a truth. Zay was left behind since it was his dream. They all laid themselves across the beds and couches in the room before going under for the second time.

* * *

The third level was Smackle’s dream. It was a mountainside with a government agency.Missy and Charlie were in the fortress along with the projections. He was making his way to the large safe in the middle which held a room. The rest of them had woken up on the mountainside.

“Smackle how much time do we have ?”

“By my calculations, If Farkle follows our plan we should have at least three hours in this dream.”

Lucas nodded. He set up a telescope to search the perimeter and see how to infiltrate the buildings. His breath hitched when he saw Maya in a white jumpsuit with a rifle in her hand. She looked out of the window directly at him. Lucas lowered his own gun.

“ _Lucas !_ Lucas she’s just a projection.”

Maya’s hostile projection shot and Riley gasped as Charlie ended up dead.

* * *

Farkle had been driving as fast as he could but the pursuing cars had bumped into him and pushed him off a cliff. Ten seconds was all they had in the first level. On the second level, Zay was horrified at the anti-gravity effect caused by the falling sensation in the first dream. He had been busy setting up a kick by taking them all to the elevator and cutting off the strings at the top which would have sent them plummeting due to gravity. His kick hadn’t been synchronized with Farkle’s so the team didn’t wake up but Farkle’s kick was too soon so now Zay had to improvise.

Seeing that wouldn’t work Zay pulled out backup bombs and set them out on top of the elevator roof. They would cause the elevator to propel downwards when detonated and that was good enough, but he only had ten minutes and he had been attacked by a projection while moving his team to the elevator. It was not easy to fight and move his friends in anti gravity.

* * *

“LOOK OUT !” Smackle’s voice rang out as an Avalanche occurred on the third level. Lucas stopped silent as he heard the song playing faintly.

“He initiated the kick too soon.”

“What do we do now ?” Smackle asked.

“A second kick’s coming when the van hits the water. We have to be ready for it. How much time now Smackle ?”

“Forty minutes.”

“Riley, tell me a shortcut to the fortress.”

“I can’t Lucas you-”

“Tell me Riley.”

“I don’t think that-”

“Riley !”

Riley sighed. She mumbled in resignation and told Lucas the correct path. Strapping on his snow board he and Riley headed to the Fortress while Smackle kept her eye on the perimeter and fended off projections.

Upon reaching the fortress they saw Charlie dead. Riley ran over to Missy who was exhausted from her wounds. Her eyes were closing as she went under too.

“We have to follow them into the limbo. We can get him out, we still have some time. We have to find Missy as well.”

“Okay. How much time will we have ?”

“Years. Limbo is a lot longer. I’d say we get about 20.”

Riley realized that Lucas was the only one who had been in a Limbo before. So the Limbo would project everything he had constructed in that part of his subconscious.

“Lucas, please don’t let your guilt hinder this. Whatever’s up there ? It’s not Maya. Please.”

Lucas gave a halfhearted nod before setting the gun to his temple.

* * *

It was a beach. There were dozens of buildings but no people. The limbo was a shared space but Lucas’ mind was constructing it right now. All remnants of the time he’d spent there with Maya.

Lucas knew where Charlie was. There was only one place he could be. They made their way to his apartment. Maya’s projection was there as expected. Her eyes weren’t warm or vulnerable this time. They were cruel and calculating. She knew where Charlie was. Riley watched in horror as she made Lucas promise to stay with her in return for telling them Charlie’s location.

“Don’t you want to see our children again Lucas ?.” She turned around. “Hunter ! Kathy !”

Riley gulped.

“Stop okay. Where’s Charlie, Maya ?”

“Promise to stay here with me and the kids. Do you _promise_.”

The word held so much importance for Maya. Lucas gave a slight nod. They had to finish the mission. Maya smiled back and shook her head towards the balcony.

“Lucas that isn’t your wife. Not even close. Maya would never be like this and you know it.”

“I know.” Lucas whispered. “Go get Charlie and go back to the third level.”

_“Lucas !”_

“I’m not staying. Missy’s still up here. I have to find her before I can come back. The kicks should be coming in a bit. You have to get Charlie to find his father. _Go !_ ”

Riley breathed a sigh of relief. She rushed out to the balcony and without a second glance she pushed Charlie off the balcony and jumped with him. She closed her eyes as she plummeted towards the waters and woke up where she had been left.

Charlie had just enough time to get to the safe. Behind it was a large hospital room. His last memory. He leaned closer to his father to hear his dying words. The idea they had implanted in his mind.

_“I want you to be your own man.”_

* * *

The ten seconds counted down in Farkle’s level and this time Zay was able to synchronize the kick. Riley woke up on Level 2 and as soon as the elevator hit the floor and the van hit the water she woke up in the First Level.

They quickly unstrapped their seat belts and used the only oxygen tank they had to take in small amounts of oxygen before swimming up and dragging themselves out of the lake. Riley shivered where she sat with Farkle on the cold stones as the wind battered against her. Zay and Smackle were nearby and so was Charlie but he didn’t really understand what was going on. Her clothes clung to her skin and she had lost her flats so the cold water splashed against her feet every time the wind and rain pushed the water to the stone platforms she was sitting on.  They looked at each other as they waited for the sedative to wear off.

Riley only hoped that Lucas would find Missy and that they wouldn’t get trapped there forever.

* * *

Seeing an ages older Missy Bradford was creepy but as soon as Lucas reminded her of the mission and that she was in a limbo she picked up a gun without another word.

Lucas woke up in the jet. For the first time since Maya died, he felt at peace. A glance in Missy’s direction had her pulling out her phone and dialing the FBI to grant him clearance back home.

They all parted on good terms. Charlie was none the wiser about what had gone on but had decided to himself he would build his own company from scratch. He made up his mind to do what he felt like doing.

Riley had hugged him before leaving with Zay. She hoped he would be fine. It seemed he had finally made peace with his demons by confessing to her and confronting Maya’s projection. He was finally ready to let go of her dreams. It hadn’t been the real her anyway.

Farkle and Smackle had left too, knowing without a doubt that Lucas was eager to see his kids and in-laws again. They were going to come meet them in a week or so, maybe more, to let Lucas have his time with them.

* * *

Shawn was waiting for him at the airport. He had greeted him with a big hug and led him to the car. After a nice drive where Lucas reminisced after seeing the streets and turns he had known so well he took a deep breath before entering a large house.

Home. His and Maya’s home. Hunter and Kathy were playing in the yard. Shawn had a wide grin on his face as he called them.

“Kids ! Guess who’s home ?”

Two excited voices rang out as the stomping of tiny feet was heard.

“DADDY !”

Hearing their excited squeals as they ran towards him warmed Lucas’ heart. He may not have Maya anymore but he did have two ‘mini-Harts’. He was never going to leave them again.

Before going out to see them Lucas slipped the paint splattered top from his pocket. Maya’s, _His_ totem.

Setting it on the table he let it spin around and around but before he could see the result he ran out to greet his kids and mother in law. His eyes shined as he saw how big they’d gotten and how much they looked like him and Maya.

The top gave a slight wobble and then…

**Author's Note:**

> I got the title from ‘Meet the Robinsons’ but I’m not sure it fits. Mostly it was this quote. “All you gotta do is let go of the past and…keep moving forward.” 
> 
> Special shoutout to :
> 
> *@thetamedhearttales for being the first one to guess the AU. (We're working on a Riarkle one).  
> *@coreyhambonematthews for also guessing correctly the AU before I revealed what it was.


End file.
